France Targets E-commerce Giants Over Child Safety

France's child protection agency head Sarah El Hairy has initiated an investigation into Vinted, an online marketplace, for allegedly allowing minors access to adult content through its platform. This action is part of a broader crackdown on foreign e-commerce companies in France to protect local retailers.

France's child protection agency chief, Sarah El Hairy, has called for an investigation into Vinted over allegations that the platform fails to prevent minors from accessing adult content. This request was directed to TV and Internet regulator Arcom after some ads reportedly redirected users to pornographic sites, regardless of age, El Hairy revealed on France 3.

"Where there are children or teenagers, there are predators, and this time, they've used sales of ordinary objects to lead users to pornographic sites," El Hairy stated. Both Vinted and Arcom have yet to respond to requests for comment on the allegations.

This investigation is part of a larger French initiative to rein in large foreign e-commerce firms that local retailers claim are creating unfair competition with cheaper, well-marketed products. A consumer watchdog has launched similar probes against other platforms, following Shein's recent physical store opening in Paris. Additionally, the EU plans to implement earlier customs duties on low-value parcels to curb imports from China.

(With inputs from agencies.)